Band of Outsiders Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com: Runway Review

Band of Outsiders

NEW YORK, February 11, 2012

By Maya Singer

Band of Outsiders designer Scott Sternberg was tempting fate with the Sergio Leone backdrop at his show today: Before a single model had come down the runway, the headline "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" was surely writing itself in more than a few audience members' heads. But Sternberg foiled those plans. "The Good, the Good, and the Good" may not do much as the title of a spaghetti western, but it serves just fine as a description of this season's Band of Outsiders, Girl, and Boy collections.

As suggested by the set design, Sternberg's mind was on ol' Mexico and the rugged American Southwest, and the theme carried through all three of his collections. First up, the men. In the Band of Outsiders collection, Sternberg made his reference overt, but not literal: This was Band sportswear, for sure, executed in sueded, desert-color materials and conductor stripe, plus some winning puffer jackets and scarves. Sternberg's cheekiest play with his Mexican reference was to apply Oaxacan-inspired embroidery to a chino suit, a riff on WASP whale pants. His most direct move was to make alpaca sweaters intarsia knit with Oaxacan-inspired iconography; the hoodie versions were a slam dunk.

Next up, the womenswear. In general, Sternberg gave his seasonal themes a looser interpretation in Boy and Girl, though Boy did quote some of the menswear ideas. These were breakthrough collections for Sternberg: For the first time, his womenswear was the clear strength of his show. Girl came down the catwalk first, and boasted a panoply of great microfloral frocks; to-die-for hairy, ink-dyed furs; cozy hand-knits; and bonus items like a microfloral puffer vest and navy alpaca coat with a floral print. Boy, per usual, had a more masculine mien, but even here the feminine rose to the top. Indeed, Sternberg closed the show with a couple of clean, flowing gowns—basic black ones, with suspender-banded halter bodices. The gowns were dead sexy and undeniably glam, both unusual notes for Band of Outsiders to strike, and they hinted at the brand's new horizons.

See all from Band of Outsiders › Timeline

A.F. Vandevorst	A.L.C.	A.P.C.
Acne	A Détacher	Akris
Alberta Ferretti	Albino	Alexander McQueen
Alexander Wang	Alexandre Herchcovitch	Alexis Mabille
Alice + Olivia	Altuzarra	Andrew Gn
Anna Sui	Ann Demeulemeester	Anne Valérie Hash
Ann-Sofie Back Atelje	Anthony Vaccarello	Antonio Berardi
Antonio Marras	Aquascutum	Aquilano.Rimondi
Araks	Azzaro

Badgley Mischka	Balenciaga	Bally
Balmain	Banana Republic	Band of Outsiders
Barbara Bui	Barbara Casasola	Barbara Tfank
Basso & Brooke	BCBG Max Azria	Bebe
Behnaz Sarafpour	Belstaff	Betsey Johnson
Bibhu Mohapatra	Bill Blass	Billy Reid
BLK DNM	Blumarine	Bottega Veneta
Bouchra Jarrar	Brood	Burberry Prorsum

Cacharel	Calla	Calvin Klein Collection
Camilla and Marc	Carlos Miele	Carolina Herrera
Carven	Catherine Malandrino	Cédric Charlier
Celine	Central Saint Martins	Chado Ralph Rucci
Chadwick Bell	Chalayan	Chanel
Charlotte Ronson	Chloé	Chris Benz
Christian Cota	Christian Dior	Christian Siriano
Christophe Lemaire	Christopher Kane	Christopher Raeburn
Clements Ribeiro	Collette Dinnigan	Comme des Garçons
Commuun	Costello Tagliapietra	Costume National
Creatures of Comfort	Creatures of the Wind	Cushnie et Ochs
Custo Barcelona	Cynthia Rowley

Daks	Damir Doma	Danielle Scutt
Daryl K	David Koma	Dean Quinn
Dennis Basso	Derek Lam	Diane von Furstenberg
Diesel Black Gold	Dion Lee	Dirk Bikkembergs
DKNY	Dolce & Gabbana	Donna Karan
Doo.Ri	Douglas Hannant	Dries Van Noten
Dsquared²	Duro Olowu

Edun	Elie Saab	Elie Tahari
Elizabeth and James	Emilia Wickstead	Emilio de la Morena
Emilio Pucci	Emporio Armani	Erdem
Erin Fetherston	Etro